in Depression era

May 1-10, 1933

1933 May 1st Monday

Cloudy and N.E. breeze cool. The men chored and John Wisenberger brought John Wisenberger Sr. his uncle in truck and Wm took him to Crookston, Nebr. where he stayed with his daughters Kate and Leona as he is very sick with bladder and heart trouble and will stay a week. Will took a team of horses to O’Kreek and sold to No Heart and home in p.m., a long horse-back ride. Ben Clausen came to smoke sausage and fix horse-radish. Mr. Lattimore came in wagon to see about bringing his cattle here to pasture and he hauled box to smoke meat from barnyard to yard.

1933 May 2nd Tuesday

Cloudy all day. The men chored and Will went horseback to get Sazama and Pitt cattle, and Donald Pitt helped him, and Mr. and Roy brought calves in truck and Will and Fritz Van Epps brought Lattimores in eve. Wm went [to] Wisenbergers to tell John what John Sr. wanted done and in p.m. cleaned barn. I got meals and looked over lease papers. Claude Sully and Mr. Joe Eddings here early a.m. to see about buying broncho-mares and will return later. Pat Karnes stopped on way to Guy Bailey’s to help build house as Legionnaires will help him.

1933 May 3rd Wednesday

Cloudy, rainy and cold. The men chored and Will went to Winner and Jordan and Witten to see about getting cattle and took Pat Karnes along. I got meals and not much else as it is damp and cold on my rheumatism in left knee, can hardly move it these days. Wm took cattle to pasture and as it was rainy, stayed indoors except to set turkeys. Will back in time for supper.

1933 May 4th Thursday

Cloudy and damp but in p.m. a little brighter. The men chored and I got meals and went to store with Ben, who came this a.m., also Will took eggs and got garden seeds. Will went to Ed Anderson’s and got their cattle in p.m. Narvin & Hinlay Boyd came in late p.m. for night and Anderson cattle got out so they with Wm got them back at 1 p.m. Will is sick with cramps in stomach this eve. I baked bread and slept in p.m.

1933 May 5th Friday

Cloudy and cold but no rain. I got meals and boys got in water as they chored for Will sick in bed all day and they went for horses and late p.m. Mose went home with gray mare he traded from Wm, and Wm and Narve went to store horseback. I started to wash clothes but not finish. Ben came for lumber, posts and meat.

1933 May 6th Saturday

Nice awhile in early a.m. then a strong S.E. wind, cloudy, damp and cold. I got meals, finished washing and a time to dry but managed somehow for wind was terrific, also rested in p.m. Will sick all day but managed to chore in eve and get in water, cobs and carry out a pail of slop. Wm and Narve got tools at Baileys and fixed wells and wind-mills and took tools back to Baileys and went on down towards Carter to see if any cattle coming for pasture.

1933 May 7th Sunday

Cloudy, rainy, cold day–Wm and Narve got in at 2 a.m. from Carter so Will felt well enough to chore in morning. The men stayed indoors until in p.m. Will went with Roy and a young nephew of John Carr’s to pasture and they went to Sundquists. In eve Jerry Bowlin, Fred Daughterty and George Chihak got stuck in creek south of house and men had a time to get them out and Will and Daughterty got dumped in creek on account of Pat Karnes 2 wheel wagon, which they had team on, got broke in bolster so they came to house to get warm and stayed for supper. I got meals but feel bum all day. I guess it is rheumatism and damp weather ailments. Ben Clausen here in eve.

1933 May 8th Monday

Partly cloudy until eve real cloudy and looked rainy but no rain at bed-time. I got meals and not much because I feel bum. Will and Narvin fixed fence between us and Elshires and Wm went to help Ben fix his well then onto where men were fixing fence, them home to late dinner, then fixed Pat’s 2-wheel wagon and Wm and Narve got a Frezno at LeRoy Koepp’s and Will smoked meat and they all chored.

1933 May 9th Tuesday

Rained in night and continued in a.m. cloudy, cold until sun came out for a short time. I got meals and started to wash clothes yesterday and still they stand in tub as not much done to them to-day. The men chored and Wm and Narvin tried to break sod but no success so men cleaned corral and Fritz Van Epps came for Frezno but no get to-day. Hugh and Cliff Smith and Guy Parish of Dallas and Iona brought in 112 head of cattle and helped clean corral. Mr. Smith, Will and I and Pat, Violet and Dorothy and Reuben went to Legion Meeting at O’Kreek. Ben Fitch and Wilbur came to breed mares.

1933 May 10th Wednesday

Rainy, cloudy, cold all day and last night also. The men chored and Will, Cliff and Hugh Smith and Guy Parish went to Mission and back for dinner and men played cards in a.m. and also in p.m. Ben was here in a.m. awhile. Late p.m. the men went to barn and trimmed horses’ hoofs and Scotch, of the saddle horses, ran Will in corner and he slipped and hurt his foot, and it is real painful and swollen so had it doped and put in hot water. I got meals and fixed a chicken dinner but no wash clothes as they are still in washtub.